Technical Field
The present invention relates to a holding device for holding a container, for example for holding a container on a transport device in a beverage filling plant.
Related Art
Holding devices for holding containers in beverage filling plants are known from the state of the art. A general distinction is made between holding devices which support the container in its base area, in what is also known as “base handling”, and other known holding devices which hold the container in its neck area, for example by gripping it below a neck ring. The latter method is also known as “neck handling”.
When the containers are held in the neck area, the containers to be held are for example held by means of gripping arms which are arranged such that they can be displaced or pivoted. In this case, the gripping arms are actively controlled—i.e. opened and closed—by means of actuators, for example pneumatic cylinders or electrical actuators, or by means of a mechanical guide.
In most cases, holding devices for holding a container are disposed on moving parts of container transport devices, which serve at least to move or transport the container. Elaborate contacting elements therefore need to be provided between stationary and moving parts of the container transport device, in order to enable active control of the gripping arms. This increases the complexity of such container transport devices, along with their manufacturing and operating costs.
It is further known to bring grippers, or their gripping arms, into the closed state by introducing a workpiece, wherein the workpiece presses an actuator when it is introduced into the holding device, and the gripping arms are thereby closed. As is indicated by DE 10 2008 020 489 A1 and DE 38 02 838 A1, such holding devices are designed in a mechanically complex and expensive manner, and consist of a large number of parts.
From DE 10 2012 218 204 A1, a single-piece clamp for gripping containers is known. The clamp has a fixed position. In order for it to grip a container, it is necessary to push the container into the clamp. The stiff gripping arms are thereby spread apart, which means that the container must be displaced against the closing force of the gripping arms that arises from the spreading of the clamp. This exerts a large force on the containers as they are inserted, and such holding devices are therefore unsuitable for gripping or holding fragile and/or easily deformable or thin-walled containers. At the least, there is a tendency for the surfaces of the applicable containers to be scratched, thus lowering the quality of the containers.